On April 19, nearly 200 households participated in the Illinois Ornithological Society’s Backyard Big Day, bringing together birders from across the state in one of the few possible ways during the coronavirus pandemic. The households were split into two teams, each one captained by a Red Hill Birding guide: Adam’s Solitary Sandpipers and Josh’s Backyard Bellbirds.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE RESULTS AND BIRD LISTS FOR BOTH TEAMS (PDF)
This is a nice summary of the day from the event’s creator, Tamima Itani:
“The Illinois Ornithological Society Backyard Big Day went beyond our expectations on so many levels! Nearly 200 households participated from 34 counties in Illinois. People birded from their backyards, apartment windows, apartment building rooftops or grounds. Birders are known to be competitive and spirited and friendly exchanges were posted throughout the day. One common theme emerged, surprise at what one could find in their own backyard or outside their window or from their rooftop if they looked long enough. You would think Matthew Cvetas, ace birder, past president of IOS and past eBird reviewer for Cook County would have "seen it all" in his Evanston backyard. Yet it was only mid-morning when he posted with much fanfare that he had a LeConte's Sparrow in his yard! Having a land-locked yard did not doom one to land birds, as one of Amanda Tichacek's early flyovers over her Skokie yard was a Common Loon. An apartment living situation did not condemn one to a paltry null list for the day, quite the opposite in fact, especially if your apartment benefited from direct (albeit distant) views of the Montrose Harbor and fishhook pier, as in the case of Geoff Williamson, who ended the day with some 30 species out of his window. Birders were treated to migrating Broad-winged Hawks, mating birds of all stripes, first-of-year birds, yard lifers, lifer lifers, etc. One yard however, raked in one species after the other throughout the day for a total of 54 species, including a Worm-eating Warbler, a Yellow-throated Warbler, another 8 species of warblers, vireos, tanagers...Rhonda Rothrock's yard at the edge of Shawnee National Forest was a microcosm of the forest itself.
Depending on circumstances, we may hold another backyard competition in May. Please watch the IOS Facebook page, Red Hill Birding Facebook page and the IBET mailings for further announcements.
If you are new to IOS and would like to learn more about the organization, join it or donate, please spend some time exploring our website at illinoisbirds.org. The Illinois Ornithological Society publishes Meadowlark, which documents the highlights of bird life in Illinois. IOS also provides grants to college students for ornithological research, and is the parent organization for Illinois Young Birders. Adam Sell is a board member and secretary of the organization.
Josh and Adam both lead tours for Red Hill Birding, which has run fundraising tours for IOS to Panama, Montana, and (soon) to Colombia. Show them your support by liking Red Hill Birding on Facebook and following them on Instagram.”
